Along with television stars from the programs “Lost” and “West Wing,” the Piscataquis County, Me., Sheriff’s Department will also be featured in the upcoming film “Whispers” — or at least its vehicles will be.

When first approached by Whisper Productions Inc. of Vancouver, B.C., Canada, about using the department’s name on vehicles in the film, Sheriff John Goggin declined. He was worried, he told The Bangor Daily News, that the movie might contain pornography. But once he read the script, and saw who would be in the cast, he changed his mind....

Maybe one day some new technology will allow forensic scientists to identify the remains of more than 1,000 victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But until then, Dr. Robert Shaler, chief forensic biologist at the New York City medical examiner’s office, has accepted science’s limitations as well as his own.

The 62-year-old Shaler said he had promised himself that he would retire once his work at the World Trade Center was done. Stress, he said, contributed to a heart attack he suffered in 2003. Sticking to his plan, Shaler is leaving to help launch a new four-year forensics major at Pennsylvania State University. ...

Cranston, R.I.’s new police chief wants a five-year contract, but City Council members are concerned that such an agreement would not only violate the municipal charter, but leave any future mayor with an employee who could not be removed.

Maj. Stephen McGrath, 44, took over the agency in February. He succeeded Col. Michael Chalek, 47, who retired after a 27-year career. For the past three years, McGrath had served as Chalek’s second-in-command....

Missouri Valley, Iowa, City Council members believe they have it right this time with the appointment of Edward Murray, the second person to be named police chief there in June.

The town had been without a chief for 16 months, after Jason Smith left in August 2004. The department was run on an interim basis until, following a nine-month search, officials unanimously selected David Howley, 45, a retired New York City police lieutenant and former chief of Edison, N.J., who said he looked forward to the job. ...

As a municipal police chief and a former executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C.’s Darrel W. Stephens has brought about a sea change in the way law enforcement thinks about its job and itself. For his contributions to the profession, PERF honored him recently by presenting him with the group’s 2005 national leadership award.

“Darrel has always challenged the status quo in policing,” said Chuck Wexler, PERF’s executive director. “He has been a national leader in advancing innovations in the field and in supporting those willing to try cutting-edge approaches to addressing crime. When police chiefs want advice on what works, they call Darrel.”...